Anvil: Past and Present

Having spent over 30 years dedicating their lives to the cause of Rock n Roll, with little success for the most part - despite the band's undying passion and determination - Canadian metallers, Anvil, are now experiencing what many would perhaps refer to as a 'second wind' on the back of a successful, and heart-breakingly hilarious documentary, Anvil: The Story Of Anvil. As well as striking a (power) chord with various music and film industry alumni, the band have already managed to secure a slot at this year's Download festival in Donnington as well as earn a prestigious appearance at Glastonbury, courtesy of a fan-led petition.

However, viewing this as merely another chapter in the band's saga, and relishing it with the same perpetual energy and optimism we have come to expect, guitarist and vocalist, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, was kind enough to share a few words on the story so far, and what lies ahead for these Metal stalwarts.

How does it feel to still be pounding metal with Anvil, now 30 years on? Do you feel any different now that you've been exposed to a sizable global audience?

I love my job with ANVIL and quite honestly I don't really feel any different than I have ever felt. I look forward to an endless amount of gigs, which is all I could ever hope for. The aspect of becoming more above ground is a wonderful reward for a band that has worked tirelessly for 30 years. Our attitudes remain intact and we still live for the live performances and revere that as the most important part of all of it. The show must go on!!!

Fans of the movie (and the band) are known to include Brad Pitt, David Byrne, Keanu Reeves, and of course Scott Ian (Anthrax), Slash, Lemmy, and Slayer's Tom Araya, who all feature in the movie. Are you at all surprised by the positive reaction your story has had on people?

This story has the magic that would captivate anyone, but the people it resonates the most with are people in the entertainment world. This is a perfect tale ... it wasn't a movie company that made this...it was a fan. The fan was repaying the band for being his friend and taking him on the road when he was a teenager. It took a virtual lifetime to create the story line. Famous, successful people know the pain and struggle to the top and appreciate watching this movie as it is an amazing, true depiction of the reality of trying to make it.

Were you excited to be included on such high-profile bills as Download and Glastonbury again, despite being so far on in your career? Does it ever annoy you that it hasnt happened sooner or consistently over the years?

We are absolutely overwhelmed with happiness about playing these festivals. We love any and all opportunities to play live. It should also be understood that ANVIL has played many festivals over the years and quite a number of them are actually in the movie. I would also venture to say it has been consistent for years.

How are the local's treating you? Are you still playing regular shows back home?

There is a great deal of respect and praise for us here in Canada. We were just inducted into The Indies Hall of Fame for 30 years of being a contributing band in Canadian music history. We just played at the induction as well as a packed out club called The Velvet Underground.

Over the decades, metal has gone through countless trends and transformations whilst you guys have pretty much stuck to your guns - how have you managed to maintain your love for this type of music for so long?

Our music is our identity, we have no other option than to be ourselves and we enjoy that.

Are there any new bands that you're digging right now or do you still just blast the oldies?

We mostly just listen to the music we grew up with.

I understand album 14 is in the pipeline - how's that going? Is it going to be with Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and of course, Anvil) again?

The new cd will be called Juggernaut of Justice and it will be recorded later on this year. All the songs are written and in fact, enough for two albums. We hope to do it with Chris.

I understand that you have finally enlisted the help of new management, but are there any signs of label interest yet?

I could answer this with a question! What labels?! Most are dying! OR dead! But seriously speaking, yes there is interest....there's blood in the water and the sharks are hungry! It looks promising...

What are your plans for the rest of the year? Are there plans to do a few more shows in the UK besides festivals?

We plan on taking the movie and band out together in what we are calling THE ANVIL EXPERIENCE. The movie will be shown then the band comes out and plays. We've done this in a number of venues and it works incredibly. This may very well end up going on in the U.K. as well. We have a great agent working on our U.K. appearances so I think there will definately be some gigs going on.

Do you feel that in the wake of the past year or so, that the band might finally have a chance to be something truly legendary?

Sometimes it's impossible to be humble about what you believe in and in my heart of hearts I believe I have always been part of something legendary.

If you could do it all again, would you change anything?
NO!!!